Guyana SPEAKS: The Appeal of Guyanese Folklore to Wordsworth McAndrew & Colleen Douglas

The programme took place on Sunday, 25th Sept 2022 at 3.30pm UK time and included a poem in praise of Walter Rodney by Nigel Hinds and two poems from John Why, who attended a Creole Writer's Forum in Guyana with Wordsworth McAndrew.
The main speakers were: Colleen Douglas (talking about her new comic book, Silk Cotton), and Roy Brummell, Rosie McAndrew and Stanley Greaves (talking about Wordsworth McAndrew, his love of folklore and creative output).
Bios provided below:
Colleen Douglas, a daughter of Guyana, and comic writer, currently resides in Notting-hill, West London. Her narrative and creative tastes are eclectic. Having grown up in a multi-ethnic country, rich in folkloric traditions that include such characters as Old Higue, Bacco and Massacuraman, she has developed a love for all things supernatural, esoteric and weird. She loves old comics and mystery buildings and listens to rock, metal and opera when she writes fight scenes. Colleen has published her comic TITAN with Amigo Comics. She was later named Editor in Chief for Amigo Comics and edited for Sally Books (a partner of Amigo) based in Malaga (2017-2020; both submissions and project editing). She also edits for Scout Comics. Colleen has also written CYOA, Apocalypse Girl, CARMINE, Vic Argas and Gargantuan. Her current book, Silk Cotton, is with Leviathan Labs and is due out Oct 2022. Her work is influenced by her love of weird fiction, comics from the UK and her intense love of the cosmic adventures of the classic Marvel character The Silver Surfer. Colleen currently writes for Interpop Comics’ Emergents Presents superhero universe. She was recently award a PhD in Ancient Monetary Systems and is a numismatist (pronounced new-miz-ma-tist) specialising in Byzantine coins and Ottoman bank notes.
Introduction to Wordsworth McAndrew was born in Georgetown on 22nd November 1936 to Winslow Alexander McAndrew and Ivy McAndrew and died on 24th April 2008 in New Jersey, USA aged 71. He is remembered today as Guyana’s leading folklorist, a poet, and creative artist. It was through his work as a radio broadcaster during the 1960s and 1970s that he helped Guyanese recognise and feel proud of their mythological and folkloric heritage.
Rosie McAndrew, worked as a translator and assistant film editor before settling down as a teacher and teacher trainer in Hastings, UK. Having studied Drama, Film, Radio & TV, in her free time she has done a lot of acting and directing for the local theatre, as well as taking up gardening & garden design, supporting anti-racist & peace groups, singing in community choirs and pursuing a passion for Argentine tango. She has always enjoyed writing and has published two books so far. The first is Wordsworth’s White Wife, a memoir of her life in Guyana in the late 60s, with the Guyanese folklorist, broadcaster and poet, Wordsworth McAndrew. She is currently working on a sequel to this memoir, with a working title of No-one’s Wife. It explores the story of my life back in England with my daughter, and the joys and stresses of being a single mother.
Roy Brummell was born in the agricultural village of Dartmouth on Guyana's Essequibo Coast. As a youngster, Roy loved fishing so much on the Atlantic Ocean with his aunt's husband and his sons that he thought of becoming a fisherman. However, Roy became a successful educator in Guyana and Brooklyn, New York. A keen multi-sport player (but mainly cricket), Roy also performed in Guyana as a storyteller, newspaper columnist, actor and presenter of GANGA TIME, a radio folklore program. After forty-two years as an educator, the last twenty-three being in Brooklyn, Roy now writes full-time. He is famously the author of the novel, Halfway Tree (2020) and editor-complier of the book, Mih Buddybo Mac: My Brother Mac in two volumes.
Stanley Greaves (born 1934) is a Guyanese painter and writer who is one of the Caribbean's most distinguished artists. Writing in 1995 at the time of a retrospective exhibition to celebrate Greaves's 60th birthday, Rupert Roopnarine stated: "It may be that no major Caribbean artist of our time has been more fecund and versatile than Stanley Greaves of Guyana."[2] Greaves himself has said of his own creativity: I still don’t talk about myself as making art! Other people do that. I am a maker of things. In the early days, I found empty matchboxes, cigarette boxes, bits of string, wire, empty boot-polish tins, whatever, and made things. Drawing was just another activity, and it still is. My favourite medium is still wood, of course. My hitherto secret preoccupation with writing poems, which has now come to light, is another form of making. Recently at the University of Birmingham, where I did a reading, I was asked if the paintings influenced the poetry, and I said, "No, they come from the same source."
Guyana SPEAKS contact details:
Twitter @JCWestmaas
Email: [e-mail]
Facebook: / 1594883130589796

[@nendyfritzsche5749]

My name is Nendy, I live in Panama. I am glad to come across this video. I heard the name John Chriswich who was my art teacher in Central High School. So glad for the memories.

[@brianreid8951]

"Since when jumbie get style?" LOVELY!!!